Problem with Wipers and Headlights (Grounds?)

AJ4z · Post by **AJ4z** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 10:57 pm

I have a problem with my 2001 Dodge Neon ES and I am getting desperate to get it solved. A week ago, the windshield wipers turned on w/o being switched on. 20 minutes later, smoke came from the steering column and everything smelled like hell. I parked the car, opened the steering column and saw that the multifunction switch and the connector were melted together.

I replaced those parts (which was awful work b/c they were really melted and kept sticking together). However, even with the new switch and connector the problem persists. The problem occurs only when I switch on the headlights -- the fog light and right turn signals appear and the wipers turn on. The right head light hardly comes on and the right turn signal flashes in a far quicker interval. The switch heats up very quickly, so I can't keep driving like this for a long time.

I went to a Dodge dealer / service department today to get the problem fixed, but when I went there, everything was - of course - normal. On my way back, after they had closed already, it happened again... I do have a 30 day warranty for the diagnostics, but I would like to know what it is and how it can be fixed. I suspect it is a problem with the grounds. I wan to spend as little money as possible on the problem. Do you have any ideas how it may be fixable and where to look for the problem???

I would really appreciate any help cause I really need my car to work again and I am desperate to get this fixed. Thanks!!!

Post by **occasional demons** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 2:39 pm

Do you have a wiring diagram for the MFS? Did you use a new connector kit to fix the wiring?

Is the MFS switch new or "new" to the car?

Did you replace both the wiper switch and the MFS switch?

Is all the lighting stock?

Edit:

If the wiper motor is not grounded well, the wiper park switch will not shut the wipers off.

I think the wipers, and the lighting problems are two different issues, as they don't really share the same connectors.

ZeroChad · Post by **ZeroChad** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 2:51 pm

Hmmm. That thing must be seriously messed up considering the wipers and lights use seperate connectors in the MFS on opposite sides.

AJ4z · Post by **AJ4z** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:02 pm

Bill,

Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, I don't have a wiring diagram for the MFS. I ordered a new connector through Mopar and I replaced the wiring exactly the way it was in the old connector. I got the switch from a junk yard and it included both the wiper and the multifunction switch. I am not sure if the light bulbs are OEM.

However, I doubt that the switch is the problem because the problem seems to be the same with the old and "new" switch. I also noticed that the new switch gets hot very quickly, so I think it is something else that caused the switch to melt.

ZeroChad,

Only the MFS and its connector were melted together, but I got "new" multifunction and wiper switches from the junk yard because both switches are screwed together.

I assume it is some problem with the ground. I read somewhere that the grounds go through the wiper motors, but I am really not sure what this means. Also, I found another posting where exactly the same symptoms were described and it was a ground problem:
viewtopic.php?t=20107&highlight=wipers+turn

Are there any ground cables in the harness that go to the MFS / wiper switch?

Post by **occasional demons** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:05 pm

They are also separate switches, they just slide together, but I don't think they share any electrical connections. They can be replaced individually.

Post by **occasional demons** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:19 pm

The wiper motor and switch both ground under the dash, lower center. Basically behind the HVAC bezel, where the radio HVAC controls are. They show them as slide on connectors.

Check the ground near the driver headlamp by the headlamp bolts.

The wipers shouldn't have melted the MFS switch tho.

NickKo · Post by **NickKo** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 7:26 pm

* * CHECK YOUR GROUND WIRES on the upper radiator core support, the ones that screw in near the headlamps. * *

Unscrew them, clean the hell out of the terminal lugs, and remove the paint where they attach to the core support, down to bare metal ...... After reattaching everything, you'll want to coat them with a generous coat of dielelectric grease, to keep corrosion away.

The fuel drivers for the PCM get grounded through those leads, and I believe some other accessories as well.
Problems with those grounds, can cause a Neon, to act like / become possessed.

- Nick

AJ4z · Post by **AJ4z** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 3:20 pm

Excellent!!! Thank you so much for your help!!!

The problem seems to be fixed. I just went to the Dodge dealership and this time the problem occurred also when they tested it. The mechanic thought the second switch was broken, too, but then I showed him your guidance. He agreed to check the grounds on the upper radiator core support and the first thing he says after opening the hood is "Oh s***, you really got a bad ground here..."

So he removed the paint, put the grounds back on the core support and put some grease and other stuff on there. Thereafter, everything has been fine!

However, I think I'll still get another switch. I got the current one from a 2000 Plymouth Neon and they told me it is not registered as an acceptable switch for my car in the computer. Also the mechanic told me that Dodge gradually improved the switches because they realized they had a problem with the MFS. Given that my current switch seems to heat up a lot when the headlights are on, I think I should get a switch from a newer car or an aftermarket product to have peace of mind.

Anyway, thank you very, very much for your help!!! I am so relieved this is resolved.

maurymw · Post by **maurymw** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 8:56 am

03SXTGUY · Post by **03SXTGUY** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 5:20 pm

I had this EXACT same problem. I just got Charlotte back from my mechanic who did the TB/WP/Thermo job and hadn't driven her at night yet. This morning I go to drive to work (at 3am) and the symptoms were exactly the same, to the "T" - right headlamp very dim but flashes bright then dim again, high beam indicator and right turn signal flash on and off intermittently, as does the fog lamp indicator (whether or not the fogs are ON or OFF), etc.

I was so scared, thinking something (expensive) was seriously wrong. I had just replaced the MFS last year, so I was praying that wasn't the issue!

Thanks to all your advice to check the grounds next to the headlamps, it turns out that my right side ground was literally unscrewed some! I took off the negative battery terminal and cleaned around it real good with a wire brush; rescrewed down the ground and crossed my fingers. Sure as hell, that was the problem! Headlamps, foglamps, wipers, etc. are all working as they should now. Silly little Neon's! So dang finicky